The archdiocese began as the Diocese of Toronto, which was created on December 17, 1841.[2][3]Michael Power was appointed its first bishop, and under his reign the construction of St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica in Toronto commenced, with Power himself laying the cornerstone of the new church.[3][4] On March 18, 1870,[A] the diocese was elevated to the status of archdiocese by Pope Pius IX while the First Vatican Council was in session. John Joseph Lynch became the first archbishop of the newly-formed metropolitan see,[3][6][7] and received the pallium during his sojourn in Rome to attend the council.[7]
Ten men have been Archbishop of Toronto; another two were the bishop of its predecessor diocese. Five archbishops – James McGuigan, Gerald Emmett Carter, Aloysius Ambrozic, Thomas Collins, and Leo – were elevated to the College of Cardinals.[8] Power, the first ordinary of the archdiocese, was also the first English-speaking bishop to be born in Canada.[9]Denis O'Connor, whose episcopacy spanned from 1899 to 1908, was the first archbishop born in Ontario.[10] When McGuigan was raised to cardinal in 1946, he became the first anglophone cardinal from Canada,[10][11] as well as the first cardinal from the archdiocese.[12] He also had the longest tenure as Archbishop of Toronto, serving for 36 years from 1934 to 1971, while Fergus McEvay held the position for three years (1908–1911), marking the shortest archiepiscopacy.[9]
Appointed on December 22, 1934. Elevated to cardinal on February 18, 1946. Retired on March 30, 1971, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Died on April 8, 1974.
Appointed on April 27, 1978. Elevated to cardinal on June 30, 1979. Retired on March 17, 1990, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Died on April 6, 2003.
Auxiliary bishop from 1976 to 1986. Coadjutor archbishop from 1986 to 1990. Elevated to cardinal on February 18, 1998. Retired on December 16, 2006, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Died on August 26, 2011.
Appointed on December 16, 2006. Elevated to cardinal on February 18, 2012. Retired on February 11, 2023, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75.
^Under the Code of Canon Law, the coadjutor bishop has the right of succession (cum jure successionis) upon the death, retirement or resignation of the diocesan bishop he is assisting.[15][16]
References
General
"Past Ordinaries". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
Specific
^"Proposal would increase power of archbishops in dealing with sex abuse". The Catholic Register. Toronto. December 14, 2018. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020. Cardinal Archbishop Thomas Collins of the Archdiocese of Toronto heads an ecclesiastical province which includes the dioceses of St. Catharines, London, Hamilton and Thunder Bay.
^ abcd"Timeline". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
^Choquette, Robert (1988). "Power, Michael". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. 7. University of Toronto / Université Laval. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
^"About Us". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
^ abHumphries, Charles W. (1982). "Lynch, John Joseph". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. 11. University of Toronto / Université Laval. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
^ abc"Lynch, John Joseph". Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). Columbia University Press. 2000. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
^Gerard, Warren (July 2, 1979). Newman, Peter C. (ed.). "A prince of the church takes his pew". Maclean's. Vol. 92, no. 27. Toronto. p. 44. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020. James Cardinal McGuigan was Toronto's first cardinal.
^Van Hove, A. (1913). "Bishop". In Charles George Herbermann (ed.). The Original Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. Robert Appleton Company. p. 581. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.